She Was Meant For Me
by DJFireHawk
Summary: Kirk is flirtatious, bold, and often rather reckless. Follow the events of her life as she grows up, and goes through trials that would break most men. What will happen when she finally becomes the Captain of her own starship and eventually meets the ultimate alpha male? Fem!Kirk, eventual Khan/Kirk, Lots of twists and changes.
1. Chapter 1

She Was Meant For Me

Summary: Kirk is flirtatious, bold, and often rather reckless. Follow the events of her life as she grows up, and goes through trials that would break most men. What will happen when she finally becomes the Captain of her own starship and eventually meets the ultimate alpha male? Fem!Kirk, eventual Khan/Kirk, Lots of twists and changes.

A/N: Warning…parts of this fic will be dark, there will be pain and death, but there will be humor and love as well. I will cover many aspects of Kirk's life from birth, childhood, teenager, and into the two movies and beyond. I will not follow the movies word for word and many aspects of them will be altered to suit my own vision. This first chapter is kind of long…and pretty dark in terms of what happens.

Chapter 1

Deep in the Neutral Zone of space a Starfleet scout ship known as the U.S.S. Kelvin is on a collision course with an enormous Romulan ship. On board is a single man, the recently promoted Captain. Moving away from the doomed ship are several dozen shuttles, and it is within one of these that the man's wife has just given birth to a tiny baby. The man struggles to control his emotions as he hears the baby's first cries of life.

"It's a girl."

"A girl? That's great honey. What are we gonna call her?"

"We could name him after your father and call her Tiberia?"

"Nah that's the worst. Let's name her after your mother…let's call her Arianna."

Arianna…ok George…Arianna it is."

Seconds later he tells her he loves her and the Comm goes dead as she watches the explosion from a distance. Her cries of loss and sorrow join those of her daughter as she holds the tiny infant as close as she can.

12 Years later a young girl with shoulder length blonde hair and bright blue eyes is racing down the road in a sleek antique car, a Police robot right behind her. She turns sharply and sends the car flying off a cliff and into a quarry, nearly sending herself over with it and barely managing to grab the edge of the cliff. She pulled herself up and stood to face the robot as it asked for her name, her tone came out in a snarky sort of tone that was lost on the machinery in front of her.

"Arianna Tiberia Kirk."

Later she's sitting in her room listening to her mother argue with her latest husband Frank over what to do with her.

"Look…I'll send her to stay with George's sister for awhile…maybe she just needs to spend some time away…"

Frank sounded unconvinced but Ari could care less what he thought, she knew he didn't like her and the feeling was mutual. She barely suppressed a snort at the idea that she needed to get away…that was her mother's problem not hers. She just wanted her mother to stay home and be with her, but she was starting to realize that there was little to no chance of that ever happening. That night Winona called her former sister-in-law who was more than happy to have Ari come to stay with them. The next morning Ari and her suitcase were loaded onto a transport ship and heading to the colony known as Tarsus IV. The trip took about a month and she used that time to make herself some new friends who would be staying there for awhile to go to some kind of smart camp.

When the shuttle dropped her off on the surface of the colony she was surprised to see a family of four, two dark haired and two blonde, waiting for her with bright smiles. The woman, a pale blonde with bright blue eyes similar to her own, had immediately recognized Ari due to her typical Kirk looks. She opened her arms and swept the surprised pre-teen into a tight hug.

"Welcome Arianna. I'm your aunt Christina, this is your Uncle Joe, and these are your cousins John and Jacob."

Joe was tall and had black hair and dark green eyes, his oldest son John at 15 shared those same features. The younger boy, Jacob, was only 10 but shared his mother's typical Kirk features with blonde hair and blue eyes. Ari gave them a slightly shy and somewhat confused smile, unused to having such positive family interactions, and the sight of it made Christina ache for the young girl.

"Hi…I'm Arianna…I guess you can call me Ari…it's what my friends call me."

Her sudden beaming smile had both of the boys staring at her in befuddled awe, making Christina laugh softly and share a knowing look with her husband.

"She is definitely her father's daughter…only a true Kirk could put on a smile that bright."

For the first couple of weeks Ari was allowed to settle into her new life on the colony and start taking classes at the school. Christina told her stories every night of her childhood with Ari's father. After two weeks she was given an aptitude test to determine if she was eligible for the 'smart camp' or not. Her score ended up being tied with the highest one, that of an older boy named Karl who immediately got under her skin with his superior attitude and inability to leave her alone for any length of time. He couldn't stand the fact that she frequently beat his test scores, especially since he was 16 and she was only 12, and showed it by picking on her whenever possible. Ari had the rest of the boys from about 10 to 18 following her like lost puppies and willing to do anything she asked them to…so one jerk wasn't really enough to bother her too badly. For the first time in her life she felt a warm happiness at feeling like she was part of a real family, one that loved and supported each other no matter what happened.

All of her warm happiness came crashing down a year after her arrival. She, like many others, had noticed the strange fungus that had taken over the food crops and rendered many of them useless. She assumed that Governor Kodos would contact Starfleet and request assistance…as it turned out she was wrong.

Her family was invited to a gathering at the Governor's palace, but there was no ticket for her to join them. This fact made her both angry and suspicious, and she begged them not to go. They went anyway so she followed them, slipping through the gates and hiding in a dark alcove that was hidden from the view of Kodos' soldiers. She noticed that most of those she had made friends with on the transport ship were hanging out on the area right in front of her hiding spot, along with her two cousins.

The speech given by Kodos chilled her bones and made her shiver in sudden terror. When the soldiers started firing phaser rifles into the crowd she froze for only a moment before surging into action, pushing her cousins and friends into a drainage pipe where they wouldn't be found. When she turned back, intending to get her aunt and uncle as well, she watched them fall under the barrage of phaser fire. Her tears nearly blinded her as she slid into the drainage pipe and told everyone to start moving and not look back. When they reached the end of the pipe they were next to the only lake in the area.

Ari took the lead and everyone followed her into the mountains, where she took them into a cave she had found months back after exploring in her boredom. She told them all to stay put and wait while she and John went to get supplies, the two of them heading back to their house while Kodos and his men were still occupied. They grabbed three duffle bags, John filling two of them with food while Ari filled one with supplies like blankets and matches, before heading back to the cave and covering their tracks just in case. Ari only prayed that Starfleet would come soon, there wasn't much food and it wouldn't last long among 17 kids.

It had been 3 months now and Starfleet still hadn't come, Ari realized they likely wouldn't be as she was sure Kodos wouldn't want them interfering in whatever plans he had. She and the other older kids had been drawing straws to determine who would risk going into the village to steal food. She was currently holding Jacob close to her while they waited for John to come back. The sound of distant phaser blasts made her cry softly, the younger boy clinging tightly to her, and the rest of the kids lowered their heads as they realized they had lost another member of their group. There were only 11 left now…the oldest a boy of 14, only a year older than Ari herself. He came over to her and spoke low so the others wouldn't hear him.

"Anna? I'm going to go down there and try to get something…I know it's dangerous but we have to find food soon or the little ones are going to start dying."

She knew he was right and nodded sharply, though it pained her to risk another life so soon after losing her cousin. After he left the rest of the kids huddled around Ari for warmth and comfort. Only an hour later she heard the light footsteps of the boy as he returned, a nervous smile on his face as he spoke.

"I managed to drag a crate up here but it's too big to fit in here…we'll have to take the stuff out and bring it inside…then hide the crate probably."

The kids immediately ran outside before Ari could stop them. The older boy urged her outside, though she was slow from hunger and fatigue, staying close behind her to keep her moving. When she stepped out into the bright sunlight she saw Kodos and his men, holding the younger kids captive, and whirled to punch the traitor as hard as she could which knocked him unconscious. A strong pair of arms wrapped around her middle, pinning her arms to her sides, and she tried to reverse head-butt her captor. She heard a familiar voice in her ear, sounding almost desperate as he asked her to stop fighting.

"Karl?! Fuck you! Let go of me you fucking asshole!"

Kodos stepped in front of her, holding her little cousin Jacob in front of him. She could see the insanity in his eyes and it made her nervous.

"Stop fighting Kirk or I will kill your little cousin right here, right now."

She stared at him in disbelief for long moments, and to prove his willingness he shot the youngest girl in the group of survivors before turning the phaser to rest next to Jacob's head. Ari let out a short scream of helpless rage before her body sagged, head falling forward as the last of her energy slipped away from her. The remaining 10 of them were taken into the depths of the dungeons under Kodos' palace and thrown into separate cells, Ari chained to the wall in hers as an added punishment for leading the little group.

She'd lost track of time in the confines of the dark cold cell, listening to the cries of the rest of the kids echoing around her. Kodos' gave them just enough food to keep them all alive, but not enough for them to regain any strength or health. He came to visit her often, trying to make her surrender to his will. He wasn't willing to kill her because he needed her for his experiments. She was highly intelligent and he needed that, but her constant refusal and resistance was fraying his last bit of patience with her. He entered her cell again as he always did, but when she looked up she realized he was dragging her little cousin Jacob behind him. Ari had already started shaking her head, tears starting to shine in her eyes as her mind swiftly cam to a realization of what the insane dictator planned to do.

"Will you surrender yourself Arianna? It won't hurt you. You know this. It could be quite pleasurable for you really. I merely want you to breed with Karl. Your combined intelligence in one child has the potential to be astounding, and I want to be a part of it."

Ari closed her eyes, a soft whimper escaping her tightly closed lips as she shook her head. The high-pitched whine of a phaser charging followed by the soft thump of a body hitting the stone floor wrenched an agonized sob from her throat while Kodos' dark laughter echoed off the walls as he left her alone with Jacob's body.

Time passed impossibly slow, and yet it also moved horribly fast. She had no way of knowing hos long she'd hung from that wall, her tears had stopped long ago and she felt empty and broken inside. The sound of distant phaser fire and yelling voices from upstairs met her ears but she couldn't bring herself to move anymore, she barely had any strength left as she refused to eat anything after what Kodos did. She felt gentle hand lifting her head and a soft voice whispering to her, urging her to come back to the world. She knew that voice, but she couldn't understand why Karl seemed to be trying to help her.

"Come on Kirk. Open your eyes. Please? Anna please look at me? Don't give up now…everything's gonna be ok now. Starfleet's here now and we're all gonna be ok."

Her eyes slowly fluttered open and he let our a soft sigh of relief that ghosted across her face like a gentle breeze. When she tried to move she whimpered softly and her tried to soothe her as he released her from her shackles.

"Shh…it's ok now. I've got you. Starfleet is taking control back now and it's all gonna be ok."

"Starfleet? How? Kodos…he'd never…"

"No…he wouldn't have…but I did. I knew he had to be stopped."

They both froze as one of Kodos' elite guards stood in the door of the cell, phaser pointing at the two of them with a nasty smile on his face. Ari thought that this was the moment she was going to die…to finally be able to meet her father…but the guard slumped to the ground, unconscious. A man stood behind him in a gold command shirt and Ari clung to Karl, he was familiar which made him safer than any other option right now. She felt herself being lifted up as Karl cradles her to his chest to carry her out of that nightmare and into the soft pastel light of early dawn. She noticed the other kids being carried by Starfleet medical staff, but when one of them reached for her she curled further into Karl who growled a soft warning to make the man back away. The gold-shirted man nodded and led them to the beam-out point.

Once they were settled in the ship's sickbay, Ari seated in Karl's lap and the kids curled around them for safety…all save the traitor who was shunned, the man introduced himself.

"I'm Captain Christopher Pike, and this is the U.S.S. Farragut. I'd like to personally welcome you all aboard and I assure you my medical staff will do everything they can to bring you all back to health as much as we can in the month it will take us to get back to Earth. Other ships have arrived to finish dealing with this disaster but Starfleet felt it best to get all of you home first and foremost…so that's exactly what I plan to do. Now…can I have your names so we can let your families know you'll need to be picked up?"

The little ones started giving their names and telling him who best to talk to in their families. When the traitor spoke they all looked away from him, a fact that Pike noticed and felt compelled to ask about.

"Is there a reason you all seem to be unhappy with this boy?"

Ari bared her teeth at the boy in a silent snarl of anger that made him shrink away from her, even as Karl tried to soothe her by rubbing her back.

"He betrayed us…led Kodos and his men right to the cave we were hiding in."

Pike's brows furrowed slightly as he looked Arianna over.

"You look familiar kiddo. What is your name?"

"Arianna Kirk, Sir."

Pike's eyes widened and a look of deep sorrowed seeped into his eyes.

"I was stationed on the Kelvin with your father…he was a very good friend of mine. I had no idea you were on Tarsus sweetheart."

"My mom sent me to stay with my aunt and uncle for awhile…my dad's sister…she…they're all gone now…"

She started crying again and Karl held her close, his own eyes looking pained at what she had been put through. She eventually cried herself into a troubled and fitful sleep, Karl never left her side…nor did the kids, they all felt safest near her.

In the month it took them to get back to Earth the ship's doctors and nurses managed to get them all to where they could eat a decent meal without feeling sick, and even put a little weight back on them as well. The medical staff kept detailed documentation of everything in the event of a trial…they could not have anticipated that Starfleet would rather hide what really happened, burying all the information in top secret files and feeding the media a story about famine killing half the population instead. Pike was furious when he was ordered into silence, but he vowed to keep an eye on Arianna from here on out…to check in on her once in awhile.

When the shuttle landed Ari stood back and watched with a soft smile as 'her' kids were reunited with their families. A hard, angry voice, made her cringe and step behind Pike and closer to Karl who glared at the offending man.

"What the hell did you do this time you little trouble-maker? How much damage did you do and what's it gonna cost me now huh?"

"Excuse me sir, but I do not appreciate the tone you're taking with her. This girl has been through a nightmare no child should ever have to endure. She has seen friends and family murdered in front of her by the will of an insane dictator. She helped 16 kids escape their sanctioned deaths, only to have most of them die from capture or hunger, leaving only 8 others in the end. Those kids over there being returned to their families are alive because of her. They were betrayed by one of their own and kept in a frigid dungeon for 2 months where they were near-starved to keep them too weak to fight back. Even once they were safe aboard my ship she continued to look out for those kids, making sure they didn't eat too much or too fast and get sick. That young lady is a hero in my eyes and I for one am proud to say she has as pure a heart as her father had."

After Pike's impassioned speech most of the parents were looking at Ari in horror for what she went through, and gratefulness for having saved their kids. Her own mother's face showed a horrified sorrow as she opened her arms, her guilt mirrored in Frank's face as he started talking to Pike in hushed whispers. Ari ran into her mother's arms and the two of them clung to each other, crying softly.

"I'm so sorry momma…I couldn't save them…I tried so hard…so many people died…I saved as many as I could…honest I did…but there was so little food…I tried…"

"Shh…hush my darling. You did so good sweetheart and I am very proud of you for being able to save as many as you did. Your father…he'd be just as proud I promise you."

Frank was gaining advice from Pike on what Ari would need after such a horrific experience, therapy and so on. Karl had been orphaned by Kodos' and Winona offered to foster him so that he and Ari could heal together, an offer both teens quickly agreed with. Pike made sure the information was entered into Starfleet's system and Frank took them all home, Ari clinging to both Karl and her mother while Winona promised to stay home more and help her daughter heal.

A/N: I actually cried a bit writing this, but it's necessary for her future interactions with people. Karl is my own character, as were Ari's Tarsus family members as I know little about that part from TOS. Karl will feature in the rest of the story as a big brother figure for Ari. I hope to upload the next part sometime soon, hopefully people like my idea and stay tuned. ^.^


	2. Chapter 2

She Was Meant For Me

A/N: First off, A big thank you to everyone that Reviewed, faved, and/or followed this story. This chapter will take place about 2 years after the first one, so Kirk is now 15 and Karl is 19. This chapter isn't dark, it actually has a bit of happy in it lol.

Chapter 2

Frank and Winona had kept in frequent contact with Pike, keeping him updated on Arianna's therapy and letting him talk to her often. She had started calling him Uncle Chris which both warmed and annoyed him…not that he'd ever tell her that. Winona was worried about Ari's near-nightly severe nightmares, even now…2 years after the events on the colony. Pike decided that he would propose an unusual solution, but it was one that just might work for the girl.

"My ship, The Farragut, is going to be heading out on a year-long scouting mission with a Vulcan mind healer onboard. I think, if you'll allow it, that I might ask the Admirals to allow Ari and Karl to come along so the healer can work with them."

"Well…I don't really want her out of my sight much anymore…but if you really think it will help her…the traditionally therapies haven't done any good…alright…I'll agree to it but only if both the Admirals AND Ari agree to it first."

Pike was fairly certain Ari wouldn't protest, judging from her enthusiastic questioning when she spent a month on his ship before. Winona was reluctant, but she knew Ari needed more help than she could currently give her. She was quite shocked when the Admirals agreed to the idea. When she told the two teenagers Ari looked both excited and nervous; excited to be in space for a whole year, but nervous to have to see yet another therapist.

Karl on the other hand was just smiling at Ari, happy to know he'd be with her, he only hoped this healer might have better luck than the others had so far. It tore at his heart every time she woke up screaming or sobbing in the early hours of the morning, and he always held her and soothed her back to sleep. All the others kept trying to make her talk about what she'd seen, what she'd been through. They didn't understand that talking about it to someone that hadn't been there was just too painful. He never asked her to talk about anything, he listened when she decided she wanted to talk but he never tried to make her.

It was only a month later that the two were settled in their joint room on the Farragut, next door to the healer and across the hall from Pike. Pike had his roomed joined by a bathroom to his First Officer's room. That man was big and scary looking, but around Ari he was like a big teddy bear and was always sneaking her extra treats. She ended up calling him Teddy, which amused the rest of the crew to no end, and he never complained though he only let her use that nickname. No one on that ship had forgotten the tiny, starved girl that had so fiercely protected the others around her, and they were all happy to see she was back to a healthy weight now.

When it was time for her first meeting with the Vulcan mind healer Karl went with her, refusing to let her face the unknown alone. Neither of them had ever seen a Vulcan before, and what they knew of the race was learned out of books. When they reached the room and entered the woman rose gracefully from her seat.

"Um…I know Vulcans don't shake hands…but the books never said how one is supposed to greet a Vulcan. Could you tell me ma'am?"

The Vulcan nodded once and made a hand motion with her fingers spread in a V, two fingers on each side. Ari copied it easily but Karl couldn't manage to get his fingers to go that way, making Ari giggle lightly and him scowl playfully back at her. The woman motioned to the chairs in front of her own and though it did not show on her face she was mildly surprised when the boy sat down and the girl planted herself in his lap.

"My name is T'Lao. Captain Pike has asked me to assist you in controlling your emotions, and hopefully ending your night terrors. To do this I will need to perform a mind meld with you Miss Kirk. The process is painless when performed by a professional mind healer like myself. I will place my hand on your face, my fingers in specific points, in order to access your memories. I give you my solemn vow that I will only access those memories and thoughts associated with the source of your night terrors. Once we do this I will be better able to guide you through meditation techniques that will work best with you. Is this acceptable to you?"

Karl blinked multiple times, looking rather confused as he tried to understand what the woman was saying, causing Ari to stifle another round of giggles. When she turned to look at T'Lao her expression was one of wary caution.

"You can promise me that it won't hurt?"

"I give you my word as a healer, you will experience no physical pain and I will do my best to minimize the emotional toll on you as well."

Ari hesitated a bit longer before finally nodding slowly. T'Lao passed her a form, previously signed by her mother and Pike, and she added her signature to the bottom. T'Lao allowed Karl to keep his hold on Ari as she placed her hand on the girl's face and entered into her chaotic and painful memories. When she had finished the girl was panting harshly but seemed less anxious than before. T'Lao on the other hand was expressing a rare frown on her face. She, like everyone else not in direct contact with the rescued children, had been told a famine killed the people on Tarsus IV…to see the truth of the events in the mind of a child was heartbreaking. She hid her emotions behind her mental wall, deciding to talk to the Vulcan Elders about the situation later that evening, she needed to help the girl start to gain control over her memories and emotions so she could sleep in peace at night.

Later that night T'Lao sat in her quarters, reflecting on what she had seen in the girl's mind and her conversation with the Elders. They too were concerned that Starfleet would cover-up something so tragic, and assured her that the rest of their people would know the true story of what happened so as to hopefully prevent a repeat in the future. Though it went unsaid she knew the Elders would be having a harsh conversation with the Admirals about the cover-up at some point.

A week later and T'Lao was quite impressed with Ari's ability to grasp the basics of meditation so quickly. After the first month she was able to meditate as deeply as a Vulcan teenager who had grown up learning it. Karl on the other hand could never sit still long enough to meditate so Ari usually went to her sessions alone now while Karl hung around the tactics officers.

After 6 months on the ship, working with T'Lao for 4 hours every day, Ari had shown vast improvement. She had more energy now that she could sleep through the night, and she was endlessly asking questions about how things worked on the ship. The crew members were only too happy to indulge her, most of them talking to her as though she were an adult instead of a teenager because of how intelligent she was and how quickly she learned.

Karl had been getting a different type of therapy from T'Lao and she had helped him to let go of his residual guilt over the events on the colony. He and Ari, though he still called her Anna and was the only one allowed to call her that, had become even closer. They saw each other as brother and sister, and she was closer to him than her actual brother Sam…mainly because he had left at 16 and never come back, and he only called once a year at Christmas. He never even called Ari on her birthday or asked how she was doing which made Karl angry, though Ari seemed to not care.

When the year was almost over and they were heading back towards Earth Karl asked Ari if she'd sneak into the Mess Hall with him for a late-night snack. She rolled her eyes as she agreed but couldn't resist teasing him a bit.

"Are you having yet another growth spurt Karl? I swear you're always hungry."

"I'm a growing man…I need food."

He pouted at her and she giggled merrily as they let the doors close behind them. The room was suddenly flooded with light and she saw all of the crew members she knew smiling at her, even Pike and T'Lao whose eyes smiled for her. Stretched across the back wall was an anourmous silver banner with gold lettering that read 'Happy 16th Birthday Arianna' and a large number of silver and gold balloons were floating around the room as well. Silver and gold were her favorite colors, something only a handful of people knew, and she beamed a bright smile at them that Karl swore could rival the sun itself. Pike grinned right back at her as she hugged him and thanked him repeatedly.

"16 is a big milestone for a teenager, especially a young lady. Besides…everyone likes an excuse to relax and celebrate something."

He gave her a playful wink and she giggled happily as she dragged Karl over to a big chocolate cake with her name on it…literally…not that he protested or resisted, he never did no matter how much she manhandled him.

When they returned to Earth Ari found herself sad and not wanting to leave the ship, or the feeling of family she'd felt in the year she spent there. It wasn't until years later that she'd find that feeling again in the midst of tragedy and turmoil.

A/N: Next chapter will cover the events of the 2009 movie. This one was meant as a link between the horrors of Tarsus and how she moved past that to become a leader again. It won't be until chapter 5 that she finally meets Khan so you'll all have to be patient. ^.^


	3. Chapter 3

She Was Meant For Me

A/N: Now we get into the good stuff…the events of the 2009 Movie. There will be a bit of sadness here with some deaths, just to give you fair warning. I hate it but it's necessary for my future plot. v.v This chapter is gonna be a bit long as well lol.

Chapter 3

Ari and Karl were celebrating their most recent degrees in a bar they'd frequented over the years. Ari had 6 minor degrees, three Bachelor's Degrees, and now she finally had a Master's degree…and all of it accomplished in the 7 years since she turned 16. Her minor degrees were in Tactics, Engineering, Personnel Management, Ethics, Xenobiology, and Linguistics. Her Bachelor's degrees were in Personnel Management, Engineering, and Tactics. The Master's degree she'd just received was in Tactics, her favorite subject and one she excelled at. Karl had stuck with one track, Tactics, and taken his leisurely time in getting to his Master's degree. Ari was pretty sure he did it so they'd graduate together despite him being 4 years older than her.

She rolled her eyes as he started hitting on a young woman of African heritage who was quite obviously not interested. When a group of, clearly drunk, Starfleet cadets started beating him up she moved to intervene until a piercing whistle that was awfully familiar filled her ears. A commanding voice ordered everyone outside and she nearly laughed as they fell over themselves trying to comply as fast as possible. She sauntered over and smiled at Pike.

"Hi Uncle Chris."

The man shook his head and smiled with a half-amused and half-exasperated expression. The three of them sat and talked for a bit until Pike got around to his real point.

"You two ready to enlist yet?"

Ari sighed softly and gave a pointed look at Karl, who had napkins stuffed in his bleeding nose.

"I might be, but I'm not so sure about this one over here."

She dodged his playful swipe at her head and he toppled out of his chair to kiss the floor. Her airy laughter echoed through the room.

"See what I mean?"

Pike chuckled a bit and shook his head as he stood up, getting in one last parting shot.

"The shuttle for new recruits leaves from Riverside shipyard at 0800. You can graduate in 4 years and have your own ship in 8. Your father was Captain for 12 minutes and saved 800 lives…including yours. I dare you to do better."

As he walked out Pike smirked to himself. He knew how she reacted to a challenge, in fact he was counting on it. Ari spent the rest of that night staring up at the ship being built at Riverside while trying to get Karl sober again.

Pike was about to board the shuttle and leave when the two showed up. The 23 and 27 year olds were still wearing their clothes from the previous night. Ari pushed Karl to go inside and winced when she heard the tell-tale 'thunk' of his head hitting a metal beam. She shared a look with Pike before smirking at him.

"4 years? I'll do it in 3."

She went inside and sighed softly at seeing Karl fighting with his flight harness…and losing…before taking pity on him and strapping him in securely while he sulked at her. His sulking didn't last long as he noticed the same woman he'd been hitting on last night sitting nearby and proceeded to try and get her attention. Ari turned as she heard some rather amusing protests coming from a man, apparently a doctor, who wanted to keep his seat in the bathroom without windows only to be harshly denied.

"I may throw up on you."

She had to bite back the laugh that threatened to spill out at his words upon sitting next to her.

"I think these things are pretty safe."

He said some rather nasty and alarming things before ending his short speech about danger.

"Space is danger and disease wrapped in darkness and silence."

"I hate to break it to you but Starfleet operates in space."

That was when she learned his name, gave him hers, and decided to call him Bones from then on. Eventually she managed to distract Karl from his flirting attempts and introduce the two men.

3 Years later Ari was getting ready to take the Kobayashi Maru test…again…for the third time. Bones was calling her all kinds of crazy but Karl understood. He knew it was her stubborn refusal to believe in a no-win situation. She'd already tried two standard methods of trying to beat the simulation, using what was taught to them, but she planned to go at it in her own way this time. Both Bones and Karl were a part of her 'crew' for the test, as they had been the previous two times as well. This time, when the Klingon ships showed up, she ordered shields on the top of the ship and had the pilot take a sharp dive underneath the Klingons. Once they were underneath she had the pilot make a sharp maneuver to point them up at the Klingon ships and start firing phasers. By doing this they managed to destroy all but two of the simulated fighters and those remaining two left rather than be destroyed, thus allowing her ship to tow the disabled Kobayashi Maru to safety without having lost a single life. Up in the observation booth Commander Spock stared at the human female in stoic disbelief.

"How did that girl beat your test?"

"I do not know."

He was certain she had somehow cheated and had her brought before the Academy Board for a hearing. When she was told what she was accused of her eyes narrowed in anger, making both Bones and Karl wince in the audience.

"I have never, nor would I ever, cheat at anything. I believe I have the right to face my accuser do I not?"

When the Vulcan started talking about her father and his death it took every ounce of T'Lao's training to keep herself calm and not lash out.

"I suggest you stop right there Commander. Bringing my family into what is clearly your own personal vendetta against me is not only unfair it is also highly UnVulcan of you. Your race takes pride in having emotional control and strict adherence to logic. Yet here you stand, accusing me of cheating with no proof other than your 'emotional' feeling that cheating is the only way I could have beaten your simulation. I did not cheat. Your test was programmed to take into account all of the tactics that Starfleet trains…you did not take into account tactics that a cadet might come up with on their own that aren't necessarily regulation."

Spock was spared having to respond to her statements by a messenger coming up to the head of the Academic Board, said man read the message and stood to address the assembly.

"Starfleet has received a distress call from Vulcan. As the rest of the fleet is in the Laurentian system the Academy is sending all 3rd and 4th year Cadets to the 8 ships still docked at Star base 1. Cadet Kirk, due to the lack of evidence against you and your convincing argument you are cleared of all charges. Move out everyone."

When the assignments came out Ari was thrilled to be on Pike's new ship, along with Bones, only to whine softly when Karl was assigned to the Farragut.

"I don't want to be separated Karl. We haven't been apart like this since…well…since then."

He pulled her into a tight hug and kissed her forehead.

"I know that Anna. It'll be fine though. Your pal Teddy is Captain of the Farragut now that Pike's moved to a new ship. It's just a quick run to check the problem and give whatever assistance is needed. It won't be too long before we're back here you'll see."

She pouted at him but gave him a fierce hug, whispering at him to be safe and say hi to Teddy for her before they had to part to board their shuttles. Bones rested his hand on hers once they were seated to try and reassure her but it wasn't enough to calm her anxious nerves. It wasn't until she got her first full look at the sleek newly-constructed Enterprise that all other thoughts were wiped from her mind. It was then she decided she would one day be Captain of that ship somehow.

Once onboard she was sent to the Medical Bay with Bones to get a basic check-up since she'd skipped her yearly physical in favor of the Maru test. Once Bones declared her 'physicallynormal' and she cuffed him on the head the started talking for a bit…until this cute little Russian kid made an announcement that froze her blood and made her drop the scanner she'd been holding.

"God damnit Ari what the hell is…hey kid are you ok?"

Bones had noticed how pale she'd gone before she bolted out of the Medical Bay and started hitting buttons on the nearest computer terminal to replay the message.

"Lightning storm. Bones we gotta stop this ship. Computer locate Cadet Uhura."

Once she had a location she took off running at full speed, Bones hot on her heels. Once Uhura confirmed one of Ari's suspicions she headed for the bridge, both of them now following her as she ran straight to Pike. Both Pike and Spock were shocked when she told them to stop the ship.

"Captain she is not cleared to be aboard the bridge. I can remove the cadet…"

"Try it! This cadet is trying to save the bridge!"

"By recommending a full stop mid-warp during a rescue mission?"

"It's not a rescue mission. Sir, Vulcan is under attack."

"Based on what facts?"

She was really getting annoyed with this Vulcan undermining her efforts to save the ship and her irritation showed for a moment before she calmed herself and spoke in a logical manner…mostly.

"That same anomaly? A lightning storm in space? Also occurred 26 years ago on the day of my birth before Romulans destroyed the U.S.S. Kelvin. You were there Sir you know all of this. The attack on the Kelvin took place at the edge of Klingon space and the Romulan ship was never seen or heard from again. Last night there was a breakout from the Klingon prison planet and 26 warships were destroyed by Romulans, and it was reported that the Romulans were in one ship…one massive ship."

"And you know of this attack how?"

Ari looked at Uhura who swallowed before answering nervously.

"I intercepted and translated the message myself Sir. Kirk's report is accurate."

"We're warping into a trap. The Romulans are waiting for us I promise you."

"The Cadet's logic is sound, and Cadet Uhura is unmatched in Xenolinguistics. We would be wise to accept her conclusion."

The Vulcan almost sounded as though it pained him to admit she might be right and Ari almost smirked at him. Pike ended up having Uhura scan for Romulan transmissions but she got nothing at all…no readings of any kind and this alarmed Pike more than anything else had.

"Shields up, Red alert."

Ari gripped the railing in front of her as she braced herself, the Vulcan standing next to her doing the same.

"Arrival at Vulcan in 3…2…1."

They came out of warp and into a massive debris field. As Pike ordered evasive maneuvers Ari started in open-mouthed wide-eyed horror at the remains of 7 starships. When she saw part of the hull of the Farragut she fell to her knees, shaking as she tried to reign in her emotions so she could function and survive. Bones and Spock both came to her side in concern, though only Bones knew why she had collapsed like that.

"Ari…look at me. There's still a chance he's alive you hear me? He might have gotten into an escape shuttle and gotten away. Calm down and think straight Damnit."

Spock opened his mouth as if to contradict the doctor's statement but the harsh glare Bones gave him as he held up a hypo spray made him remain silent. When they cleared the debris and got a look at the Romulan ship Ari felt anger wash over and she stood on shaky legs to face it. When the Romulan's leader came on the screen she glared at him in undiluted hatred that actually made him pause for a moment when he saw her. The Romulan turned to Pike as he spoke and then introduced himself.

"Hi Christopher, I'm Nero."

The Romulan spoke to Spock who clearly had no idea who the guy was and then demanded Pike to take a shuttle to board his ship, the Narada as he called it. She and Spock both protested but he ignored them and asked for those with combat training to join him and Spock for a walk. He made Spock Captain and her First Officer, which she and Spock both thought was a joke of some kind since they clearly didn't like each other. She, Sulu, and some guy called Olson ended up jumping through space to land on the drill the Romulans were using on Vulcan…except Olson never made it due to his adrenaline junkie ways getting him killed. She and Sulu landed and had to fight the Romulans there, they managed to win and sabotage the drill only to fall off when the Romulan ship started retracting it. The little Russian managed to beam them back in the nick of time though. Ari shook her head at Spock when he beamed down to the surface of the planet.

When Spock returned, hand outstretched as he reached for the woman that never made it, Ari gave him a sad look and spoke softly to him as they headed to the bridge.

"Spock…I grieve with thee."

When they made it onto the bridge she and Spock both stood frozen as they watched Vulcan implode as the singularity destroyed it. Ari let her head fall forward as she gripped the railing tightly to maintain what little control she could at that moment. She only hoped T'Lao had managed to escape somehow, though she had a sinking feeling she hadn't.

When she woke up in a small escape pod, freezing cold and fighting a massive headache, she decided she really didn't like that one particular Vulcan one little bit. Although later, in hindsight, she probably should have stayed in the pod. This was her line of thinking as she was chased by what looked like a large skinny lobster with no shell and big sharp teeth. She was saved by an old Vulcan with a torch who had an odd look on his face when he looked at her.

"James Tiberius Kirk?"

"No…My name is Arianna Tiberia Kirk. Who are you anyway?"

A look of understanding passed over the Elder's face before he spoke in a soft tone.

"I have been, and always shall be, your friend. I am Spock."

"Bullshit."

The two of them ended up talking for a short time and then the Elder Spock performed a mind meld with her to show her what she needed to know about the Romulan, Nero. After this he led her to the Starfleet outpost on this planet, Delta Vega he called…she preferred the icy hell personally. Once there they met a Scottish man, ironically named Mr. Scott. Eventually she and Scotty, as she'd dubbed him, beamed onto the Enterprise while she was at full warp, except Scotty ended up in the water turbine tubes and she had to make a quick rescue. Then the Security guys caught up to them, led by the one her surrogate brother had once really pissed off by calling him 'cupcake'. They were taken to the bridge to face a clearly unhappy Spock who tried to threaten information out of Scotty who refused to take sides between the two of them. Ari hated herself for what she had to do to Spock, hated having to make him lose control in order to take command herself, but she had to and so she did. She would do whatever she had to in order to save her home. Though, she reflected, saying he never loved his mother may have been going a bit too far as she ended up bent backwards over a console with his hand squeezing her throat. She reached out and placed her hand on his face, sending him a wave of her surrender which finally made him let go. As soon as he released her throat she gasped and choked as she sucked in precious oxygen. Spock on the other hand, relinquished his command and left the bridge, his father following him.

"Well that's great…now we've got no Captain and no god damned First Officer to replace him."

Ari got up slowly and moved to the Captain's chair.

"Yeah we do."

"What?"

"Pike made her first officer."

She gave Sulu a nod and he took his seat while Bones made a comment, followed by Uhura. Arianna made a ship-wide announcement that she was now Captain and that they would be going after the Narada to try and save their home planet, Earth. She and the rest of what was now her command crew were huddled together on the bridge while the little Russian, Chekov she'd learned, was explaining his idea for hiding behind one of Saturn's moons to avoid detection.

"Wait a minute kid how old are you?"

"Sewenteen sir."

"Oh good he's seventeen."

She nearly rolled her eyes at Bones' sarcasm before Spock interrupted and supported the plan, then volunteered to board the enemy ship himself.

"I can't let you do that Mr. Spock."

"Romulans and Vulcans share a common ancestry; this will make it easier for me to access their ship's computer to locate the device. As I am half human this makes Earth the only home I have left."

"Then I'm coming with you."

"I would cite regulations but I know you will simply ignore them."

She giggled happily and clapped him on the shoulder before giving her orders and heading down to the transporter room with Spock and Scotty. Once the ship was in place, an impressive bit of maneuvering on Sulu's part she had to admit, Scotty beamed them aboard the Narada saying they should end up in a cargo bay…not even close.

"Damnit…not a soul in sight he says. What the hell does he call this then?!"

Spock, of course, ignored her yelling as they took out any Romulans they saw. She covered Spock as he melded with one of them to gain the information they needed. When they found the little ship containing the red matter she feigned ignorance and left him there while she went to get Pike. Unfortunately she was intercepted by the Romulan Captain who managed to pin her to the ground, though he seemed a bit shocked when he realized just who she was.

"James Kirk was a great man, but that was another life. A life you will not be able to mirror. I think I'll keep you, a little trophy pet from my victory over Starfleet."

She growled at him but he was quickly distracted by Spock stealing the red matter and escaping the Narada. Nero's second in command moved to loom over her and they ended up fighting, Ari barely managing to kill him and climb back onto the platform so she could get back to business.

Spock had given her the location where Pike was being held in a shallow mind meld so finding her surrogate father was no problem, though she almost got shot in the back while undoing his restraints…apparently he still had good reflexes despite being tortured. As soon as she had him leaning on her she called for the Enterprise to beam them all back, and just in time to prevent Spock from dying too. Bones and his team took Pike to the Medical Bay while she and Spock headed to the bridge at full speed where she ordered the Romulan ship to be hailed.

"This is Captain Kirk of the U.S.S. Enterprise. Your ship is disabled and your weapons depleted. You're too close to the singularity to survive without assistance which we are willing to provide."

Spock kept his voice at a low murmur so the Romulan wouldn't hear him.

"Captain? What are you doing?"

"Offering them help, may be the only way to earn peace with Romulus. Its logic Spock, I thought you'd like that."

"No not really…not this time."

She almost smirked but the Romulan interrupted her saying he'd rather die in agony than accept help from them. She was more than happy to oblige after what he'd threatened to do to her.

"You got it. Mr. Sulu? Fire everything we've got."

"Yes Ma'am."

They all watched as the Narada was blasted to pieces and sucked into the newly formed black hole. Unfortunately when they went to warp to go home they weren't moving.

"Why aren't we at warp?"

"We are at warp…we're at full warp."

"Scotty?! Get us outta here!"

"You bet your ass Captain!"

In the end Scotty ejected the warp core and detonated it, the blast sending them flying out away from the black hole to safety. Without a warp core they were only able to use impulse engines to move so it was bound to be a long flight home. She was pleasantly surprised when several ships of the fleet, having just returned from the Laurentian system, used their tow beams to pull the enterprise home behind them. Once back on Earth she and her crew were thanked and congratulated, though she told everyone not to thank her because she was saving her own home as well as theirs. Once Pike was recovered enough Starfleet held a commendation ceremony for Arianna.

"Captain Kirk, report to Admiral Pike as his relief."

She walked over to Pike and saluted him, beaming at the proud smile he gave her in return.

"I relieve you sir."

"I am relieved."

The assembled crowd burst into applause and her chosen crew stood nearby with matching smiles of their own. An Elder Vulcan stood atop the highest balcony, watching the ceremony with the barest hint of a smile on his face. Later there would be memorial services to attend, and Ari would be able to properly grieve for those she had lost to the Narada; her surrogate brother Karl, the crew of the Farragut, and T'Lao who'd been unable to escape Vulcan's destruction. For now they were all able to celebrate, just for a little while.

A/N: there you have chapter three and the events of the 2009 movie, twisted to suit my own needs. Like how I had Karl hitting on Uhura? *giggles* I hated having to kill him off with the Farragut crew but it's needed for later on in my plot.


	4. Chapter 4

She Was Meant For Me

A/N: This will be an interim chapter to show my ideas of what happened between the two movies…I don't know how much time supposedly passed in Abrams' world but for the purposes of my fic Kirk will be 32 when she meets Khan as he will have been 34 when frozen, and 35 by the time he turns on Starfleet thanks to Marcus. Just my idea of things, neither right nor wrong, just mine.

Chapter 4

Ari was heartened that her new command crew wanted to accompany her to the memorial for the Farragut crew. Each ship was being given a separate memorial ceremony and the Farragut was the only one that she had known people on board, and so it was the only one she was planning to attend. Uhura, now a Lieutenant, was going since her roommate and closest friend had been on that ship. The others said they wanted to be there to support the two of them, especially Bones and she knew he had a couple of sedatives stashed on his person somewhere. What most surprised her was when Spock offered to accompany them as well; at least it had until she remembered him kissing Uhura before they beamed to the Narada…and boy wasn't that a shocker? When they arrived she found the Elder version of Spock waiting for them and narrowed her eyes when he greeted his younger self.

"You sneaky, conniving, tricky…You made me think the world would somehow end if I told you about yourself. You lied to me."

She was clearly not happy with the idea of being tricked or lied to by anyone. The Elder's eyes crinkled at the corners and he seemed to be fighting a smile, and losing terribly as it stretched across his face anyway.

"I did not lie, merely implied. You may be female in this timeline but you certainly have the infamous Kirk stubbornness and temper."

"It's genetic…and you're still a sneaky pain in the ass."

Ari smirked at him before her face turned somber and saddened. A group of Academy cadets approached her, looking rather upset as well, before they all enveloped her in a group hug. She stopped fighting her emotions for a short while and let her tears fall as she hugged 'her kids' close to her. She'd kept in touch with all of them, contacting them frequently to make sure they were all doing ok in life. Every last one of the 7 kids she'd protected, minus the 8th traitor who she'd not cared to keep track of, had joined Starfleet right after she had and were set to graduate in a few days. They had all invited her of course, and being Captain of the flagship she had hand-picked each of them to join her new crew so she would know they'd be as safe as possible in space.

Bones was grinning quite happily at seeing her reunited with the group, she'd told him the truth of what happened on Tarsus and that she'd been there. Starfleet had long since retracted their cover-up and published the true story, though they never printed the names of the kids who survived Kodos' dungeon because the man was still out there somewhere. Bones had a special surprise in mind if he ever ran into the guy…and it would be extremely painful for the bastard. The rest of the crew looked on in confusion at their Captain's unusual display of high emotion. Usually she managed to keep herself calm unless she was excited but they rarely saw tears.

"Come on little ones, let's go inside and say goodbye to Karl."

Her voice broke when she said the name and every member of her crew felt their hearts ache for her. Chekov looked like he was fighting his own tears at seeing her cry. Once inside she was somber and still through the service, only sobbing once for a short moment when Karl's name was read off the list of those lost.

6 months later the Enterprise was ready to return to space with her new crew, Spock included which pleased Ari as she had grown to actually like him now. They were tasked with transporting the surviving Vulcans, and a large construction crew complete with all necessary cargo, to the planet chosen to house their new colony. This included the Elder Spock who had taken to spending as much time on the bridge, and near Arianna, as he possibly could much to the annoyance of the younger Spock. Ari found it highly amusing when the younger would 'not-glare' at the older one who give a serene smile in return. Their mission went smoothly, seamlessly, and everyone and thing was safely deposited on the new colony site.

A message from Starfleet came in and she had it put on the big screen. It was Admiral Pike with their new assignment.

"Captain Kirk. I just received your report that everything went as planned on this trip."

"Yes sir. All Vulcans, humans, and cargo are safely on the surface of the designated planet."

"Excellent, now let's dispense with the formalities shall we Ari?"

"Fine by me…Uncle Chris."

The crew chuckled as he winced slightly, but they all knew better than to try and call him anything other than Admiral Pike…only Ari could get away with what she did.

"You have a new assignment. You'll be heading to the planet Lamaria, home to the Lamarians. They have contacted Starfleet and stated that they would like to join the Federation and a contract has already been agreed upon. All you have to do is beam down to the planet and meet with the royal family, attend the royal banquet, and witness their signatures on the document before logging it into the system. The planet is almost entirely made of water, 90% to be precise, and the people live underwater. They look much like what the ancient Terran myths say about mer-folk, just with varied appearances. Some have fish tails while others have shark tails or whale tails, and their skin color matches their tail colors. When underwater you can understand them easily and their voices are…well…musical. When they come above water they require a device created by Starfleet to allow them to be understood without it being garbled. There are a handful of small free-floating islands that you can beam onto, and you will require re-breathers and submersive suits for the trip as you will be going deep underwater to the palace…once inside though you will be placed inside an air bubble that will allow you to eat, breathe, and communicate easily."

Ari's face must have shown the same wonder and excitement that she saw in most of her crew because Pike chuckled at her.

"Think of this mission as a reward for saving the planet. Pike out."

Ari grinned wide and bright as the screen went blank.

"Well then…let's get going everyone. Sulu, Chekov…plot our course and take us out."

It took about a week to get to the planet and Ari chose to take Bones and Uhura with her for this one. Spock reluctantly stayed behind after Ari pointed out that the water would be freezing cold and Vulcan's don't handle cold very well. Once they were on the chosen island, the largest of them, they donned their re-breathers and submersive suits. The suits were like enhanced wetsuits that kept them warm and dry, they also had built in propulsion jets in the shoes to help them move faster in the water. As an added bonus they were trimmed in their uniform colors which meant Ari's was silver and gold, a fact that made her beam happily and Bones scowl playfully. Uhura's dark eyes were sparkling in excitement as a group of Lamarians led them to the palace, handing them each a device that created an air pocket around each of them.

"I've never seen anything like this, not even in simulations. It's incredible."

Arianna could only nod in agreement. The palace was enormous and looked as though it were carved from marble and trimmed in bright gemstones, and there were exotic seashells all around them that made up most of the furniture inside. The Lamarians themselves were incredible to look at. The group guiding them to the Royal chambers consisted of an Orca-looking male, a shark-looking woman, a dolphin-like male, and two fish-like women. Ari smiled brightly at the royal family, receiving softer smiles in return. The king seemed to be colored after a blue whale and was a large man, his wife looked more like a large shark with her tail and color, and they had two kids…one with each parent's coloring. The queen looked at Ari and she swore the woman could see right into her soul with that piercing gaze.

"Our people have abilities that Starfleet cannot yet replicate with technology. If you and your two associates are willing I could temporarily provide each of you with tails and the ability to breathe and speak like us."

Ari and Uhura looked at each other with wide eyes; Bones looked both curious and terrified at the idea. Ari whispered into his ear and he reluctantly nodded his agreement, he trusted her and would follow her lead even when he didn't like it much.

"We agree majesty."

"No need to call me that dear, Marina will do fine."

The woman pointed her finger at them and whispered something in a language they couldn't decipher. The three of them were surrounded by a soft blue glow and felt a tingling in their bodies before the glow dissipated. When Ari opened her eyes the bubble was gone, but she could see and hear and breathe normally. She looked down and noticed that she had a fish-like tail with alternating silver and gold scales. Uhura had a brilliant scarlet fish tail, and Bones had managed to develop a deep blue and white fish tail. Ari couldn't help herself as she did a few flips just because she could…she'd never felt so free in the water before. Bones looked grudgingly impressed, but Uhura was smiling brightly and looking at everything she could see.

The feast given in honor of the new alliance with the Federation was impressive to say the least. A wide array of seafood from fish to shellfish, and plenty of watery greens like seaweed and other things she couldn't identify. She had Bones scan everything before she ate it; just to make sure it didn't contain anything she was known to be allergic to…which was quite a lot of stuff. After the feast she and the royal family met to finalize the agreement, her signing after the king and queen had done so. They gave their farewells and the queen returned them to normal so they could return to their ship. Spock was decidedly unhappy when he found out they'd let the queen give them tails and proceeded to lecture the three of them on the dangers of doing something without knowing the consequences or side-effects…but even that couldn't wipe the grin off of their faces and Ari tuned him out in favor of typing up her report and sending it off to Pike.

Several years went by in a similar manner, diplomatic mission were the core of their work as the flagship and Ari loved most of them. Well, all except the one they had when the people suddenly changed their minds and tried to kill them instead of joining the Federation…If Spock hadn't been with her she was sure she'd have been killed, as it turned out that particular race was extremely Bipolar and unstable. Starfleet ships were warned to avoid that planet as a precaution until something could be developed to help the people become stable.

She and her crew were currently orbiting a little planet called Nibiru, observing the primitive humanoid race that lived there as well as the other forms of life to be found. Spock seemed quite alarmed at the high levels of seismic activity and had several suggestions on what should be done to stop the impending eruption…none of which sounded overly promising to Ari's ears. She scowled heavily at him when he suggested taking a shuttle inside the volcano and having him lowered inside to set of a nuclear cold-fusion device to freeze the thing. She was 99.9% sure that this was a bad idea and probably going to bite her in the ass somehow, but she knew she couldn't just do nothing while an entire developing race was wiped out.

Later she found out her gut feeling had been right when Spock became trapped in the volcano and started arguing with her about whether or not she should attempt to rescue him.

"Nobody knows the rules better than you Spock but there has got to be an exception."

"There is none. The Prime Directive states…"

"I know what it says! Damnit Spock we're talking about your life here!"

"The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few."

When they lost contact she cursed violently in multiple languages, making Uhura blush brightly as she tried to get Spock back.

"If I was there and Spock was here…what would he do?"

"He'd let you die."

She scowled fiercely at Bones, refusing to believe that about someone she now saw as a close friend. In the end she chose to ignore the Prime Directive and ordered the Enterprise to rise out of the Nibiran Ocean to go retrieve Spock, having no idea that the locals would now be worshipping her ship as a god. When Spock beamed aboard she and Bones were just sliding into the room to check on him.

"Spock are you alright? Are you hurt?"

"Captain…you let them see our ship."

Bones rolled his eyes and turned away, shaking his head at the Vulcan.

"Ah he's fine."

Uhura's angry voice came over the intercom and Ari winced in sympathy. She knew firsthand that Uhura could hold her anger for a long time and Spock would eventually get an earful.

Days later, after being reprimanded and demoted, she had her own earful she wanted to give the half-Vulcan. She sat next to Pike, as his first officer now, in a meeting of all the Captains currently at Earth. The Starfleet archive building in London had been blown up by someone Admiral Marcus claimed was one of their own. Ari was studying the feed of the aftermath and saw the man putting two duffel bags into the jump-ship he stole.

"What's in the bags?"

"Not now Ari."

"Something wrong Miss Kirk?"

She looked up at Marcus as he interrupted her whispered conversation with Pike.

"No sir."

"Kirk is just adjusting to her new position sir."

"If you've got something to say, say it now tomorrow's too late."

She scrunched her nose up a bit as she tried to organize her thoughts better. Spock had sat straighter, familiar enough with her thought process to know her idea usually held merit.

"It's just…why the archive? All of that information is public record. Unless the archive wasn't his real target…this could just be the beginning."

"The beginning of what Kirk?"

"Sir…in the event of an attack protocol mandates that all available Admirals and Captains meet right here…in this room…"

Spock started speaking as she trailed off and a bright red light lit the room. She stood, turning with a sinking feeling to face the inevitable and screamed.

"Clear the room!"

All was silent for a split-second before chaos erupted as they were fired upon. Ari watched people fall as they were hit and made her way across the room and into the hall next to the jump-ship. She grabbed a phaser rifle and shot out the window before firing repeatedly at the ship. When she realized it wasn't doing any good she got a brilliant idea and tied the fire hose to the rifle before launching it at the ship. The rifle and hose were sucked through the engine and she heard a groaning sound behind her, turning and ducking just in time to avoid being hit by part of the wall. That managed to stop the ship and sent it into a spin as the man inside locked eyes with her before golden rings enveloped him and took him elsewhere.

When she returned to the room she saw people injured but no one was dead. She saw Pike lying on the ground, unmoving, and fell to her knees at his side in fear that he'd been killed. Spock assured her he still lived though he'd been injured so Spock had made him sleep until Medical staff could tend to him. The look of relief on Ari's face, as she nearly collapsed against Spock's side, made the Vulcan hold her to him so she could calm herself again.

"He will survive this Arianna."

Later that day Scotty informed them of where the supposed terrorist had gone, and it made Ari nervous despite her determination to bring him to justice. Admiral Marcus gave her back her ship, and her first officer, and sent her off to use some type of new torpedoes to kill him from a distance. It wasn't until they were on their way towards the Klingon home world that her conscience kicked in and made her realize that killing the man without a trial was wrong and she formed a new plan, one that Spock approved of.

A/N: Next chapter will be when she finally meets Khan face to face. Things should get very interesting then. Notice that Pike lived? I refuse to kill him in this fic as I have plans for him later on. I also brought her 'kids' from Tarsus in as well, and they will feature often from here on out as she saw them as her first family, and now they're a part of her crew who is also family to her. I have many plans swirling in my head and deciding which ones will work best is a bit of a challenge, especially now that she's going to meet Khan. This should be fun. ^.^


	5. Chapter 5

She Was Meant For Me

A/N: Now the chapter everyone's been waiting for…meeting Khan. I hope I don't screw it up b/c I have a clear idea of how I want it to go. Let me know if you like it. ^.^

Chapter 5

Ari was piloting a small shuttle with Spock, Uhura, two security officers, and one of her 'kids'. They were heading to the surface of the Klingon home world to try and take this Harrison guy into custody. Spock wasn't sounding very optimistic about their chances, and then Uhura decided it was time to unleash her pent up aggravation at Spock.

"Really? You guys are seriously gonna do this now?"

She was, of course, ignored until Uhura brought her into it by saying he had upset her as well. Her little one, Kyle, just gave her an amused grin at her protesting.

"Oh no you don't…leave me out of this."

Spock finally managed to get Uhura to go silent with some well-said words and a bit of emotion. Then they got blind-sided by a Klingon patrol ship and Ari made for a narrow passage between two buildings.

"Captain this ship will not fit."

"We'll fit."

"We will not fit."

"We'll fit, we'll fit."

Once they came out on the other side they all breathed a sigh of relief.

"Told you we'd fit."

"I am not sure that qualifies."

Ari sounded smug and Spock's sarcastic reply made her snort back her urge to laugh, Kyle didn't bother to hold in his bark of laughter. Of course things had to go south again as they were surrounded and ordered to land. Uhura demanded to be allowed to try and convince the Klingons to help them, despite Ari's gut feeling that it was a bad idea.

She was right…yet again. It was a bad idea and Uhura was only alive because the man they were hunting saved her life. Ari ended up pinned under the boot of a Klingon who was about to stab her when a blast of light blew him in half. She looked up and met Harrison's eyes, noticing absently that they were a pretty shade of green. She blinked at him and he smirked before blasting yet another Klingon that had gone after her. Her brain finally kicked back into gear when Spock grabbed her and dragged her behind some ruins where Uhura and Kyle were waiting for them. They watched as Harrison single-handedly took out an entire squadron of Klingon fighters and warriors, making Ari wary of how they were supposed to catch him. By the time Harrison reached their hiding spot Ari was leaning heavily on Kyle, her side sending sharp jolts of pain every time she tried to move and her back feeling no better. Harrison shot Spock's weapon out of his hand but she noticed he didn't actually hurt the Vulcan which made her curious.

"How many?"

She stared at him in confusion, her brain too focused on having nearly died not too long ago to figure out what he was talking about.

"The torpedoes you spoke of in your message. How many are there?"

"72."

Spock answered for her and she watched several emotions play across Khan's face before he dropped his gun.

"I surrender."

Spock picked up the weapon and trained it on Khan as Ari forced herself to stand, ignoring her pain as she stepped in front of Harrison. When the full intensity of his gaze fell on her she shivered slightly before pushing her emotions back and standing tall.

"On behalf of those you killed…I accept your surrender."

She let her anger at almost losing Pike take over for a moment and punched Harrison repeatedly, making his head jerk sideways and a look of slight surprise cross his features before Uhura yelled at her. Kyle had grabbed her arm, which was really the only reason she actually stopped because she didn't want to hurt him accidentally.

"Captain stop!"

Khan's gaze became more intense and she couldn't hide her shiver or the soft breathy sound that escaped her when the deep baritone of his voice rolled over her ears. He was impressed that a human female had been able to punch him with enough force to make his head move, a feat that most men couldn't accomplish.

"Captain…"

"Cuff him."

Once she had him on the ship she had Uhura head to the bridge to inform Starfleet that they had captured the criminal, meanwhile she and Spock headed down to the brig to talk to him while summoning Bones to join them. She sent Kyle back to his usual place with the Security team to inform them of the loss of the other two security officers. The man was sitting perfectly straight on the bench in the cell when they arrived and to Ari it looked rather uncomfortable. Bones used a device to make a hole in the cell window.

"Put your arm through the hole. I need to take a blood sample."

Harrison merely stared at Bones who growled softly and made Ari roll her eyes at them both.

"Harrison. Please?"

She spoke softly and Harrison gave her a slight inclination of his head before placing his arm through the hole. Ari smirked at Bones when he gave her a playful glare.

"You need to learn how to ask nicely Bones."

As soon as he had his sample Bones left the brig at a near-run. Khan's eyes followed him for a moment before returning to Ari, ignoring Spock altogether.

"And what is your name…Captain?"

"Kirk."

Khan gave her a somewhat amused look and moved closer to the glass.

"Your full name…not your surname. Please?"

She bit back a sigh and held her head up as she answered.

"Arianna Kirk, and you'll get no more than that Harrison."

"Thank you. Though I wonder…why are we not at warp already? A malfunction, perhaps in your warp core?"

Ari ignored him and turned to leave the brig with Spock, cursing internally at the man's perceptiveness.

"Ignore me and you will get every person under your command killed."

She ordered Spock to the bridge, ignoring his protests at her talking to the prisoner alone.

"Do you realize Harrison that I was given orders to kill you with those torpedoes? I didn't do so obviously, and that means you owe me for not killing you outright."

Khan gave her a highly amused smirk as he leaned on the glass, almost daring her to step back. He was pleasantly surprised when she stepped boldly forward at his silent challenge, this one had a fiery spirit and was clearly not afraid of him…yet, that could change when she learned the truth of his origins. He gave her a series of coordinates and told her to check them out before daring her to open one of the torpedoes. It was a test to see how she would react, and he was sure it would be interesting.

"Are you outta your corn-fed mind?!"

"I'm allergic to corn Bones."

The irritated growl that met her ears made her bite down a laugh. It really was too much fun to tease him sometimes. He and Spock ganged up on her a bit until she put her foot down and said they were doing it regardless.

"Without Mr. Scott onboard who exactly is qualified to just pop open a 4 ton stick of dynamite?"

"The Admiral's daughter expressed interest in the torpedoes, perhaps we should ask her?"

"What Admiral's daughter?"

"Doctor Carol Marcus concealed her identity to board this ship."

"When were you gonna tell me that?"

"When it became relevant…as it just did."

Ari huffed softly at Spock and shook her head. Emotionless her arse…they could be just as sarcastic and emotional as any human when they wanted to be. She sent Carol and Bones with one of her 'kids' to the surface of a nearby moon to open one of the torpedoes, Bones flirting the entire time and making Ari giggle as she and Sulu exchanged amused looks of disbelief. Ari snorted loudly when Bones pulled out his line about the Gorn octuplets; he'd tried it on her but she told him quickly that she flirts but never dates anyone. She told that to any males that she decided to call her friends so they wouldn't get the wrong idea, and so far it had worked perfectly. She had a momentary panick attack when the missile armed itself with Bones' hand trapped inside, only relaxing when Carol disarmed it. Her little one, Amelia, spoke first in an awed voice.

"Ari…you gotta see this."

Ari was first to slide around the corner and into the brig, panting slightly from running full speed from the Medical Bay. Spock was still making his way to the Brig at a normal pace as she moved to stand in front of Khan's cell and start talking to him.

"Why is there a man in that torpedo?"

"There are men and women inside all of those torpedoes. I put them there."

"Who the hell are you?"

She listened to his speech, Spock coming in part-way through.

"I looked you up; John Harrison didn't exist until a year ago."

"John Harrison was a fiction created the moment I was awoken. My name…is Khan."

Something about that name sparked Ari's memory and she thought hard while Spock and Khan had a verbal sparring session about Admiral Marcus.

"He wanted to exploit my savagery. Intellect alone is useless in a fight. You can't even break a rule, how can you be expected to break bone?"

Ari whimpered softly, a normal human would not have heard it but Spock and Khan did. Spock looked concerned knowing her history, Khan looked…predatory was the only word Ari could think of. She shook her head and took a few deep breaths to banish the memory of Tarsus; she needed to focus and not become distracted.

"Captain?"

"I'm fine Spock. Look, Khan, I understand you don't like Marcus but…"

Khan interrupted her, his baritone voice dark and angry as he spoke of what Marcus did to him. Marcus used his crew, his family, as leverage to force Khan to do things he did not want to do. Khan escaped but believed Marcus would have killed his family, which is why he attacked Starfleet. When Ari noticed a single tear that Khan tried to hide from view she felt her heart reach out to him.

"I know how you feel Khan…believe me I know better than anyone else what its like to have someone use your family against you. The rest of Starfleet does not agree with what Marcus did, it's the exact opposite of what we stand for. I promise you I will see that you receive a fair trial, but please stop trying to destroy all of Starfleet for the wrongdoings of one man."

Khan's piercing gaze fell on her and his eyes locked with her pleading blues. He felt some protective instinct inside stir at the pain he saw there and knew that something had happened to her in her past, something very painful that allowed her to understand his own pain. He sighed softly and nodded slowly, his intense gaze lightening slightly as she smiled at him.

"Captain. There's a ship at warp heading our way."

"Klingons?"

Khan shook his head and spoke softly to her.

"At warp? No Kirk…we both know who it is."

"I don't think so Captain, it's not coming from Cronos."

Ari cursed and ordered Khan taken to the Medical Bay before racing to the bridge with Spock. She had her conversation with Marcus broadcast ship-wide and gazed sadly at her bridge crew when she realized he was going to destroy the ship in order to kill Khan. When his ship stopped firing and she heard Scotty's voice she nearly cried in relief. Scotty had bought her some time to save her ship and she had an idea, though Spock guessed at it and tried to argue with her as usual. She ignored him and ordered him to take command in her absence, giving him strict instructions not to do anything that might incite Khan's anger…she just had a gut feeling that he might try something.

She stormed into the Medical Bay and ordered everyone out, even Bones, before moving to stand directly in front of Khan. Khan was sitting on a bio-bed which actually brought them to near-equal height as he stared at her. She was nervous, he could smell it with his enhanced senses, but she hid it well and he was impressed.

"Tell me everything you know about that ship."

So he did, he told her everything he was willing to share anyway. He found himself wanting to help her, she had been proving herself to be a worthy match for him.

"I will see to it that you are taken to trial, but right now I need your help Khan."

He tilted his head just slightly as he regarded her with his intense stare. He wasn't fond of the idea of going to trial, but he was interested to see what she was willing to give him for his help.

"And what will I get in return?"

"I could offer the safety of your crew, but that would make me as bas as Marcus and I refuse to go down that road. All I can offer you is whatever help I can give once Marcus is taken care of and unable to destroy my ship. I will not go against my vows to Starfleet nor will I harm those that don't deserve it, but I will help you however I can."

Khan gave a slow smirk and nodded, pleased with her offer and willingness to help him.

"I will accept your terms Captain. Shall we?"

They ended up in space-jump suits, preparing to be launched through the space between the two ships. Scotty was heading for a door to let them through when they reached the other ship and Khan was guiding him to the right spot.

"Whoa, hold on there Cap'n. This door is very wee…I mean…ya' know small. Its four square meters tops. It'll be like jumping out of a moving car, off a bridge, and into your shot glass."

"Its ok Scotty I've done it before."

The look Khan gave her made her blush and try to stammer out an explanation which sounded ridiculous even to her ears, and she'd actually been there. Next thing she knew they were shooting through space and trying to avoid debris that used to be part of her ship, which just made her angry at Marcus all over again. When she lost her visor she started to panic a bit and had to fight to remain calm, Spock certainly didn't help matters any.

"I've lost my visor, I'm flying blind."

"Captain without the visor the chances of successfully making it to the…"

She tuned him out for a moment and tried to lighten the mood a bit.

"When I get back we need to work on your bedside manner Spock."

Then Khan's deep voice sounded in her ears and guided her back to where he was, back on the right course. He told her stay close and she did, trusting him not to let her face-plant into the side of the Vengeance. When they landed inside the other ship they rolled a bit, ending up with her lying on top of Khan without realizing it until he moved. Her cheeks flushed a bright red when one of his hands smoothed down her back and she quickly rolled off of him, looking away as he gave her a decidedly wicked smirk. Introducing him and Scotty was a distraction technique, and Khan knew it was but he allowed her the moment to calm herself again as the situation they were in called for focus. The three of them, now armed, began moving through the ship while Scotty worried and fretted about not having enough time.

Ari growled when she was grabbed from behind, something that she instinctively reacted violently to as she used the man's momentum to throw him over her before shooting him to leave him stunned. Khan raised an impressed eyebrow before dispatching several more men, Scotty only managing one on his own and Ari taking out a couple more. They seemed to mostly target Ari, probably because she was female which pissed her off. When they made it onto the bridge Scotty stunned Khan and Ari gave him an angry glare, her phaser never leaving Admiral Marcus.

"What the hell did you do that for Scotty?!"

"Spock said we shouldn't trust him…the Elder one said the guy is dangerous."

Ari growled softly and shook her head.

"There was no reason for that. He never tried to attack any of us, or even harm any of us. He could have let a squadron of angry Klingons kill myself, Spock, and Uhura but instead he destroyed them and saved our lives. I'm willing to give him a chance and trust him Scotty. If you trust me you'll do the same."

Marcus started spouting off about war and leading Starfleet and Ari was getting ready to stun him despite Carol standing there watching, because she was getting tired of listening to him. Khan had been feigning unconsciousness and felt his anger wavering at Arianna's warm words regarding him, even his own people had never spoken about him like that. He was gentle when he knocked out Scotty, knowing she cared for him, and even more so when he pushed Arianna to the side so he could go after Marcus. He heard the Admiral's daughter scream as he crushed the man's skull, but he couldn't make himself care…this man needed to die or he would keep trying to start a war. He noticed the Admiral's daughter had passed out and his lip curled in disgust at her weakness before he turned to look at the visibly shaken Captain. It made him feel guilty that he had caused her to fear for her safety; that had not been his intention at all.

Ari watched as Khan stalked towards her like a jungle cat; her back was against a console and she was unable to run, not that she thought she'd get very far as fast as he could move. When he reached her he bent down slowly and gently cupped her face in his hands making her cheeks flush brightly. His hands were cool and he was being so gentle and careful as if afraid to break her; it wasn't what she'd expected after watching him crush a man's skull. His breath ghosted across her face and she inhaled sharply when she felt the softness of his lips covering her own. A strangled little whimper escaped her and he made a pleased growl in the back of his throat.

"You are worthy. You are kind, generous, and you place family above everything else. I have never met someone like you, not even among my own kind. I want my family back, but I am willing to wait and do things your way. Will that please you Anna?"

He noticed the hitch in her breathing when he called her Anna and frowned when she began to cry softly. He pulled her into his chest, his instincts urging him to protect her.

"I'm sorry…its just…no one's ever called me that except Karl. He was…my brother…not by blood but still…"

He ran soothing fingers through her hair and shushed her. Smoothing his hand over her back to try and calm her.

"It is alright, I understand. I will not call you that if it upsets you."

"No…its ok. I kind of miss hearing it…and I rather like your voice."

She blushed softly when she realized what she'd said out loud and he chuckled softly before contacting the Enterprise, still clutching her to protectively to his chest.

"Commander Spock. The Vengeance is no longer a threat and the few crew members aboard are now restrained. We are ready to be beamed back to the Enterprise now."

Spock seemed hesitant but Ari looked at him, a stern look that was a bit out of place on her normally smiling face. She noticed her 'kids', her little ones, standing in the background behind Spock and gave them all a soft smile after chiding Spock.

"Spock. Khan is not a threat to us, he's trying to help. He's also agreed to stand trial, at which I will speak for him."

"We have no transporter capabilities at the moment Captain. I will send a shuttle to retrieve you."

"Send Bones as well. Carol's leg was broken when her father backhanded her and she fell wrong. I want my little ones to stay on the bridge until I get back there understood?"

They all nodded sharply and settled in to wait for her return.

When they were finally back on the ship Ari asked Khan to help Bones get Carol to the Medical Bay, which he agreed to do as he knew Bones couldn't carry the woman and scan her at the same time. She and Scotty headed upwards until everything went haywire and the ship started pitching and dropping. The warp core had finally given out and the two of them raced to Engineering to try and fix it. When Scotty checked his console he cursed in agitation.

"What is it? What's wrong with it?"

"The warp heads are misaligned. I cannae bring the core back online which means we're going to crash unless someone realigns them. That can't happen because the radiation suits are now inaccessible and we can't survive the radiation."

Ari frowned and looked at the entrance to the warp core. Scotty protested and she punched him to knock him out before securing him in his chair.

"Sorry Scotty, but I can't let my family die while I do nothing…not again."

She climbed into the core and used every ounce of her strength to kick it back into alignment, leaving her with barely enough strength to crawl back out into the decontamination chamber and hit the button to start the decontamination process. Scotty was waiting for her with a sad look on his face as he contacted the bridge and the Medical Bay, telling Spock and Bones to get down there immediately. When they arrived Khan was in the lead, falling to his knees next to the glass that separated them. Spock told Scotty to open the door and Scotty sadly shook his head, just as upset as they were. Standing behind the rest of them were Ari's little ones, all of them clinging to each other and crying softly.

"I can't, not until decontamination is done."

Khan and Spock both sat by the glass, Spock feeling like he was losing a sister and Khan wishing she was out of that little chamber so he could fix her. Their screams of grief and rage mixed together when she died, the sobbing of those behind them joining in as well. Ari had let go of her fight, knowing her ship and family were safe allowed her to pass on. Bones had Khan carry her to the Medical Bay where they immediately started a blood transfusion at Khan's demand. He claimed his blood could bring her back and they were all willing to try anything to keep her with them. Khan remained next to her with her hand in his as he waited for her to wake up. Spock and the rest of the command crew returned to their posts to keep the ship running properly.

Ari's group remained behind, stubbornly refusing to leave her side; Bones didn't have the Heart to make them leave. He knew what they'd been through and what she'd done for them, and he also knew how she felt about them. Khan had eyed the younger crew members warily, unsure of their connection to the one he had decided to protect.

"Who are all of you?"

The eldest of them stepped forward, clearly taking after some of their Captain's boldness.

"I am Malachi. Ari is like our big sister. We know you were frozen for a long time but you had to have read some things right?"

"I have read much of the history from the time I was frozen until I was awoken."

"Then you read about Tarsus and the attempted cover-up yes?"

Khan nodded slowly, a sudden sinking feeling in his stomach as he began to understand where this conversation was going.

"We were all there, and Ari is the reason we survived the initial massacre by Kodos. She helped a total of 16 of us escape, including her two cousins. Most of the group died from starvation or were murdered trying to steal food for everyone, like her older cousin was. After 6 months there were only 10 of us left…and the oldest one betrayed us all by bringing Kodos right to us. After that we were trapped in his dungeon, only getting enough food and water to keep us alive and weakened. Ari though…he was horrible to her. He kept trying to force her to 'breed' with an older boy but she refused. He killed her younger cousin in front of her to try and make her comply; we all heard it and her crying but were unable to help her. Starfleet came after that…the older boy Kodos mentioned had called them and managed to free her…they got really close and became like siblings. If it weren't for those two none of us would even still be here now."

Khan's eyes had drifted down to watch Ari, feeling a pain in his chest at the thought of this bright and bold woman having gone through such tragedy. Knowing this about her now only made him more impressed that she had turned out as kind and trusting as she had. He let his fingers brush through her hair as he waited for her to come back to them.

A/N: So there you have it. Chapter 5 is done and Ari has not only met Khan but has accepted him to a point. He is clearly interested in her though. I integrated her little ones as much as possible, though I only mentioned 3 actual names more will come later. Next chapter will be Ari's awakening and Khan's trial.


	6. Chapter 6

She Was Meant For Me

A/N: Time for Ari to reawaken from her momentary death and rejoin the universe. This chapter will also go into Khan's trial and the aftermath of certain revelations. The infamous Stubborn Kirk Temper will come into play as well.

Chapter 6

Spock and Scotty had managed to delay the docking of the Enterprise by informing Starfleet that the warp core needed the most immediate repairs before the docking area could be fixed. This gave them extra time to wait for their Captain to come back, and come back she did. Ari woke rapidly with a string of colorful multi-lingual curses flowing out of her mouth. Her entire body ached all over and she felt like she'd been hit by a starship. She felt a hand squeeze her own gently and opened her eyes to see Khan at her side.

"How long?"

"Nearly 2 weeks Anna."

Bones heard the nickname and turned in time to see Ari's soft smile, making him huff as he shuffled over to give her a new scan now that she was awake.

"How do you feel Ari? Any homicidal tendencies?"

"No more than usual Bones…I feel like I got hit by my own ship though."

She groaned and tried to sit up only to have Khan gently hold her down with only one hand. Bones chuckled at her frustration.

"You stay put. Your body is still healing from the radiation poisoning, regardless of the transfusion which also took a bit of a toll on your body."

"Transfusion?"

"My blood was needed in order to bring you back to us…and I believe there is a small group of anxious young people desperately awaiting your attention."

Ari gave him a confused look until she turned her head and saw her little ones waiting anxiously on the other side of the room. She held her arms open and they all rushed over to hug her.

"I'm alright little ones. I'm alright now. I know I scared you all pretty badly but its ok now."

Khan and Bones wore nearly identical scowls and she smiled softly at them.

"So why are we still on the ship and not on Earth yet?"

The pointy…I mean Spock, and Scotty managed to convince Starfleet that the warp core needed immediate repairs to avoid a meltdown and that those repairs meant that repairing the docking section would have to wait."

Ari laughed happily and grinned widely.

"I knew Spock could be devious when he wanted to be. Is the ship really in danger?"

"No Anna. The ship is out of danger. Spock was merely stalling so you would be awake and able to walk off of the ship."

She gave Khan another soft smile and heard the giggling of the younger ones.

"Alright you…back to your posts little ones."

They all saluted and ran out the doors, shoving and poking each other as they went.

"And here I'd thought they might have matured a bit."

Ari's merry laughter echoed through the Medical Bay, and the bridge since Bones had just called them.

"As you can all hear our Captain is awake and recovering nicely. She's still very sore and likely a bit weak, but she should be able to walk by tomorrow night."

"Everyone is relieved to hear this news Doctor. We should be able to dock by that time according to Mr. Scott. Captain? The bridge crew requests that I inform you they are not happy with you for getting yourself killed, but that they are pleased you came back."

Ari laughed lightly in the background, nudging her head into Khan's hand as it stroked her hair gently.

"Duly noted everyone, and I'm sorry I scared you all. I couldn't let everyone be killed and do nothing."

The words 'not again' were left unsaid but everyone heard them none the less. Bones ended the call and returned to Ari's side, giving her a hypo to ease her pain.

"There, you should be able to leave here by morning and check on the ship yourself, though I'd feel better if you at least kept Khan nearby in case your body decides to give out."

Ari gave Bones a surprised look at his words.

"Do you actually trust him with my safety Mr. overprotective?"

"Hush you. I can easily give you more hypos."

Ari giggled lightly and leaned more into Khan's hand when it stopped moving, urging him to start again while his deep chuckle washed over her and lulled her back into sleep.

The next morning Bones was true to his word and let her leave the Medical Bay, with Khan hovering at her side. Her first stop was engineering where she apologized to Scotty for punching him and they hugged before he updated her on the warp core.

"She's stable right now but will need extensive repairs Cap'n. Once we dock Starfleet'll be sending a team in for just the warp core. I will of course be overseeing them as much as possible."

"Of course you will Scotty, I'd entrust our girl to no one else."

Her second stop was the Bridge where she was met by a round of fierce hugs and threats to 'never do something like that again'. Spock surprised the hell out of her when he pulled her into a hug before his emotionless mask slid back into place and he reprimanded her. Her smile was permanent though and she knew the reprimand was his way of saying he'd been afraid of losing her.

"I'm still a bit shaky, and my body isn't too happy with me moving, but I should be ok by tonight if I rest a bit. What have you told Starfleet about why I wasn't able to talk to them?"

"I informed Starfleet that you were assisting Commander Scott with the emergency repairs to the warp core in order to facilitate a speedier arrival at star base 1."

Ari shook her head and chuckled slightly.

"So you lied."

"I did no such thing Captain. They implied that you were performing such actions and I merely allowed them to continue in their assumptions."

Her merry laughter flowed around the room and made everyone smile, happy to have their ray of sunshine back. She reclaimed her command chair and simply sat there for a time, as if to reassure everyone that she truly was back, and Khan never once left her side.

Later that night the Enterprise managed to dock and the crew began emptying out on the shuttles. Ari, Khan, her little ones, and her command crew were all on the very last shuttle. She refused to let go of Khan's hand until they landed, once she saw the number of media and security outside her face turned into a fierce scowl and Bones winced.

"Here comes Hurricane Kirk."

The rest of the crew gave him an odd look but her little ones nodded in understanding. Ari stood up and squared her shoulders, looking as though she were preparing for battle. She told Khan and her little ones to stay inside for a little longer while she handled things. As soon as she stepped outside the cameras began flashing like crazy and a storm of questions started. She held up a single hand and everyone fell silent, except for the head of the security team who stepped forward and tried to push his way past her. Spock stepped into the man's personal space and stared him down.

"I suggest you back away from my Captain before I am forced to to restrain you in order to protect her from harm."

The man backed up a few steps and turned to address Ari.

"Captain Kirk, if you would move aside we'd like to arrest the terrorist now."

When Ari spoke her voice was soft, but the icy tone it held kept everyone silent and Khan found himself impressed yet again by this small woman who had such a large presence.

"I will not step aside until I am good and ready to and you will watch your tone of voice when speaking to someone of a higher station than you Lieutenant. I have earned my title and the respect that comes with it and I will thank you show that respect when addressing me. As for the one you have labeled a terrorist let me clear that misconceived notion up right now. John Harrison is not a terrorist. Admiral Marcus was the terrorist. Admiral Marcus held Harrison's former crew, whom he viewed as his family, hostage and used them to force Harrison to do terrible things for him. Admiral Marcus forced Harrison to design warships and weapons in the hope of starting a war with the Klingons. Harrison attempted to smuggle is frozen crew into the torpedoes he'd designed for Marcus but had to escape alone when he was discovered. He believed Marcus had killed his family and so he destroyed the secret base under the memorial archive that Marcus had built to carry out his little plan. When Harrison attacked the meeting of Captains it was with the intention of taking out Marcus to avenge his crew. Marcus sent myself and my crew to the planet Harrison was hiding on with orders to use the torpedoes to kill him from a distance."

She paused here to let what she had said so far sink in. The media was eating it up and she knew that by doing this that Starfleet would not be able to cover it up like they tried to do with Tarsus. She wasn't about to let another miscarriage of justice happen under her watch.

"When I chose instead to capture Harrison, and had my Communications officer send a message to Starfleet stating exactly that, Marcus got nervous and came after us. He attempted to destroy my ship and everyone onboard to keep his secrets. We got lucky as one of my crewmembers had snuck onto the warship and disabled the weapons. Harrison and I space jumped across to the warship and together we stunned and restrained the handful of crew members. Unfortunately Admiral Marcus had started the self destruct sequence of the ship and we barely managed to escape before tit exploded, taking Marcus and his crew with it. I have several copies of the conversation I had with the Admiral about his plans and what he did to Harrison…plus my entire crew heard all of it as well. Harrison has agreed to stand trial, however, I will only allow this to happen if the Admirals can guarantee me that he will receive a fair trial and anyone in my crew can speak on his behalf if they so choose…as I know I will. Harrison saved my life, and those of my several of my crew, several times over. He could have let us die, could have killed us himself, could have taken over my ship…he did none of these things and instead helped us survive and return to Earth. Does that sound like a merciless cold-hearted terrorist to you?"

A single set of hands clapped loudly in the silence and Ari turned to see Pike walking over to her, leaning heavily on his cane but walking just the same.

"Well said Arianna. I couldn't have worded it better myself. As an Admiral I can promise you I will ensure a fair trial for Mr. Harrison. Also, gentlemen, if any harm comes to him while he is in custody I will personally demote all of your back to Cadets. Am I understood?"

Ari beamed at her surrogate father and gave him a tight hug as Spock brought Khan out of the shuttle. Khan gave her a soft smile and nodded sharply at Pike's raised eyebrow. Ari leaned up to whisper in Pike's ear and the older man's eyes went wide in shock before she skipped off to join her crew. Bones gave her an amused look.

"What the heck did you say to Pike?"

"I merely informed him that I intend to pursue a relationship with Khan once he is given his freedom. I intend to have Khan and his crew join mine as well."

"That explains the shocked look then. He's used to you violently avoiding anything remotely resembling a relationship."

Ari giggled and sauntered off, though with a bit less grace than usual do to some residual pain.

A few days later and they were all present in Starfleet's main courtroom for what the media had dubbed the trial of the ages. Ari thought that was a bit overly dramatic but she couldn't really stop them. Her entire command crew spoke on Khan's behalf, as did her little ones which made her proud of them. When it was her turn she was asked if she had been aware of Khan's true identity, so she told the truth.

"I was unaware of his identity until Marcus targeted my ship and Khan informed me of his real name. I am aware he was a dictator in the past; however, I am also aware that under his rule the people thrived and prospered until the rest of the world rebelled against the harsher Augments. Khan is not an evil man, nor is he needlessly violent. The reactions he has shown recently were in response to the threat of Admiral Marcus, and I for one cannot begrudge him the need to protect his family. Especially not after I lost most of my own family in a tragedy as a young teenager, and then lost several surrogate family members in the Narada incident. If any of you can stand here, look me in the eyes, and tell me you would not kill to protect the people you love then I would like to know now."

When they all looked away she nodded sharply, her point had been made.

"Good, because if any of you had done so I would have immediately left the fleet. I would not wish to serve under anyone who could say they would not defend their loved ones by any means necessary."

She left the witness stand and, instead of returning to her seat, moved to stand next to Khan as a way of showing she was on his side no matter what was decided. The Admirals looked at her and Pike was clearly fighting a smile. In his mind she was channeling her dad's stubborn streak that he'd seen many times in their friendship. He was the first to cast his vote.

"I vote…that Khan Noonien Singh should be cleared of all charges on the grounds of manipulation by a higher authority."

The rest of the Admirals, all save one, echoed that vote. The one negative being Admiral Archer who still had it in for Scotty on account of his prized beagle, and he took it out on Ari for defending Scotty constantly. Ari gave Khan a bright radiant smile and hugged him tightly.

"Now you are truly free Khan."

She pulled back and faced the Admirals once more.

"I would like to offer Khan and his entire crew places on the Enterprise. My crew and I are not only willing, but quite happy to have them and help them all to integrate into the modern world. We would teach them the history they have missed, the technology, the various worlds and races, and everything else they need to know to survive in this time period. In return they would help us to keep the ship in one piece this time…hopefully."

The last part was said with a slightly sheepish grin that had several of the older men chuckling a bit.

"I for one think that's an excellent idea Captain Kirk…if Mr. Singh is agreeable to this arrangement?"

Khan nodded sharply and smiled softly at Ari, a look he reserved only for her and those she called her 'little ones'.

"I am more than agreeable. Admiral Barnett."

Excellent. As Grand Admiral I give my permission for Khan and his crew to join the Enterprise for her five year mission…which will sadly have to wait until the ship is able to fly again."

His pointed look made Ari wince slightly.

"Not really my fault sir."

"I know Kirk. Now…all of you clear out. Kirk, Khan will be staying with you until the Enterprise heads out, and his crew will be awoken onboard where they will be able to recover undisturbed by the media."

Khan and Ari both nodded before she started dragging the unresisting male behind her. She and her crew, plus the little ones, took Khan to her home to settle in. She had been able to buy a large piece of land with an enormous house so she could keep her entire family close when they were on Earth. Each of her little ones had permanent rooms there, as did each member of her command crew. She had a few extras in case a crew member had a problem and needed a place to stay for awhile, and Khan was given the one that shared a door with her own room. Her room was done in shades of silver and gold, making Khan smirk in amusement at her.

"They're my favorite colors, always have been."

Khan made note of that as he moved into his own room, freezing when he realized the room was done in black leather and soft red silk. He turned to Ari and opened his mouth to ask her how she figured it out but a single soft finger over his lips silenced him.

"You were talking to me while I was unable to wake-up…but I heard everything Khan. Just so you know…I think I'm starting to fall for you also, but only time will truly tell."

His eyes gave her a wicked look as he dragged her body against his own, his arms curling protectively around her.

"You realize that I will not be willing to allow you out of my sight for very long Anna? I nearly lost you when you decided to play the reckless heroine. I never want to feel that kind of fear again. I will do everything in my power to keep you safe Anna."

"I know Khan. Just try not to go overboard or I will not hesitate to hit you again."

She stood on the tips of her toes so she could kiss him and he responded with a hungry fire that left her toes curled and her breath coming in harsh pants. She knew that what she felt with him was like nothing she'd ever experienced before, and she looked forward to spending at least the next five years exploring the galaxy with him. Who knows, maybe he'd decide to stick around for the long haul and become a permanent fixture in her chaotic life. She certainly hoped so, and the rest of her surrogate family couldn't help but echo that hope because Khan made her smile brighter than any of them had ever seen. He made her happy and that meant more to them than anything else, and as long as he never tried to hurt her they could deal with his temper on top of hers…or so they hoped.

A/N: And there you have it folks, the end of this story. I chose to leave the ending more open so you can think up your own continuation. I may eventually write a sequel…we shall see how the future goes.


End file.
